Microcontrollers used in OEM systems

[Clint Corbin]

At 05:24 PM 8/27/97 EST5DST, you wrote:
>But it's funny that they'd go to what must be the huge expenditure 
>of custom packaging alot of custom-designed silicon instead of just 
>designing with what is commercially available (i.e. use an 'HC11E9 in 
>expanded mode and an 'HC24 to get the lost ports back etc). Every 
>chip under the 'hood' of a GM ECM seems to be custom...why not use 
>automotive-grade commercially available stuff? Wouldn't that cost 
>quite a bit less overall?
>
>
>- Mike


One thing to consider in all this is economies of scale.  They are 
going to be building several 10s of millions of these things.  If 
they spend a couple million bucks getting custom silicon designed
and build that allows them to eliminate 50 cents worth of parts on
the board, it will pay off very quickly for them.  With the way that
ICs are designed and build these days, it shouldn't be that hard to
put together the masks for a custom chip.

Clint Corbin
ccorbin at rt66.com
ccorbin at intel9.intel.com